Uncooled infrared microbolometers on a flexible substrate

Microbolometer infrared detectors based on semiconducting yttrium-barium-copper-oxide (YBCO) have been fabricated on a 125-/spl mu/m-thick flexible polyimide substrate, Kapton(R). During the fabrication process, the highest temperature reached was 270/spl deg/C, used to cure a polyimide insulation layer. The 60 /spl mu/m/spl times/60 /spl mu/m microbolometers displayed a temperature coefficient of resistance of -3.07%/K at room temperature. The thermal conductivity of the structure was measured to be 4.18/spl times/10/sup -5/ W/K. The bolometer response showed a linear dependence on bias current with a responsivity of 2/spl times/10/sup 3/ V/W and detectivity of 3/spl times/10/sup 7/ cm Hz/sup 1/2//W at 1.13 Hz and 1 /spl mu/A bias.